I like to have a morning coffee watching Youtube, my favorite source for the nice short video stories. Searching for creative ideas for life and for business I can’t resist using this huge resource of human creative fantasy. I recently posted the video of making creative things in one minute. This one however, takes much more effort and time, but how nice it is. The new short film by Blu, an ambiguous animation painted on public walls, made in Buenos Aires and in Baden. Watch more videos HERE.

When business people think about of protecting their ideas first they think about a patent. According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent is a grant of “monopoly for a limited period of time on the use and development of an invention”. To obtain a patent it is necessary to file an application with an explanation why the invention is original, with detailed description of the invention and its aspects, with all drawings, statements and filing fee. But besides this technical issue there are so many things for business people to consider.

Who will provide with all the information that business will need to develop every idea to it logical conclusion including the ways in which ideas can be made, manufactured and marketed? How to protect an idea in such way, so that, no one can make a substantial improvement on it and steal the basic concept and design? How to use all the laws, methods and techniques that are available to all creative people to establish legal protection of an idea under the “First to Invent” provision of U.S. patent law. What about a special advertising copy that will communicate ideas to the right executives at the right companies? Finally, how to find and identify an exact market?

I recently ran across a non-profit which provides all these services to independent inventors comparing patent attorney, invention marketing firms and themselves. The noticeable fact that 90% of services provided is a marketing effort. In my opinion it is a huge help and I bet that’s what independent inventors need.

So here is the deal. To get a help in protection and marketing of inventions watch this informational video of the founder of the Inventor’s Assistance League (IAL), Ted De Boer, who tells about his organization that he started in the 60’s. IAL teaches inventors about a technique known as “pre-patent protection” so an inventor can discuss an idea to determine if it has market value. Thereby saving the expense of a patent until the time is right.

Is anybody interested to know what friends and co-workers think about real values of the person? Is there a gap between a “real person” and a person that other people get use to see in business relationships?

Coach Rachelle Disbennett-Lee advises that one of the most important activities in growing a business is growing relationships. We all do it, but it takes time, energy and effort to build a network. Through building that network you build relationships with people who know you, trust you and will do business with you. All of us have a network of people we depend on. We might use their services, get referrals from them and ask for assistance when seeking a job. It is vitally important that we build relationships with the people in our network so that we can obtain good tips and advice. If you neglect your network you might find yourself without resources or references when you most need them.

However, other people need to know how they can benefit from you. How to network by becoming more of who you are? In other words, if there is a gap between perception and reality, between you other people see and real you, people won’t understand your ability to be a part of the network.

My personal vision is if people know exactly who you are you will get a certain value in the network. A personal brand is the key for successful networking and here how it works. A personal brand is similar to a business brand and here I absolutely agree with David McNally and Karl Speak, co-authors of my favorite book about personal branding. In business, the rules of brand management focus on strategies and tactics that build strong business relationships, which by their nature, are very special. Many of them used by businesses in managing their brands may be used in managing personal brands with the same success. Obviously, strong personal brand that is clear, complete and valuable to others create successful relationships in networking.

Building a personal brand can be very challenging, however. It is not easy to get to be more of who you are when there are so many different relationships around. It is hard to be the same and to have “one face” with everybody.

A strong personal brand needs to be clearly defined. First of all, it needs to be distinctive, to have a point of view that is to say. Next, it needs to be relevant, so the true value of the brand is connected to something that others think is important. And last, it needs to be consistent, based on the experience and behavior of the brand owner. In other words, when all that you do in your life is distinctive, relevant and consistent, people in your network see and understand your personal brand.

As a conclusion, not all personal brands are acceptable by all people. Everybody has own values and others shouldn’t judge them. That what business people think is right particularly for them is a main thing business people do. They stand for their brand.